Chapter 257 : Advertising?
Chapter 257: Advertising?
At Jiangning High-Speed Railway Station, Wang Chu stood at the exit, craning his neck and anxiously peering inside.
Before long, as the crowd surged out, Sichuan Girl’s figure appeared before his eyes.
“Oi, Chuanzi, over here! I came to pick you up!” Wang Chu waved his arms vigorously, feeling as if he was finally seeing a long-lost relative.
Sichuan Girl came out carrying several large and small bags. With sharp eyes, Wang Chu hurriedly took all her luggage before she could even speak.
“Must be exhausted, huh? Come on, let me carry these. With those thin arms and legs of yours, this kind of heavy work doesn’t suit you.”
Hearing Wang Chu’s flattering tone, Sichuan Girl’s expression didn’t change at all. She merely looked around curiously. “How come it’s just you? Where’s Lin Mo?”
“Come on, isn’t me picking you up good enough? You really think you’ve got that much face to make Lin Mo come pick you up?
Besides, he’s at home today—ate something nasty and threw up. He’s resting right now. And you still expect him to come? You must’ve lost your mind.
Let’s go. I skipped lunch just to pick you up—you’d better treat me to a meal!”
Wang Chu rolled his eyes, briefly explaining Lin Mo’s situation before revealing his true motive.
Indeed, since Lin Mo had already been won over by the class monitor, Wang Chu figured he wouldn’t side with him anymore. So he turned his attention to Sichuan Girl instead.
He wanted to take advantage of her just returning, not knowing the latest situation—catch her off guard, at least get himself a good meal first.
He’d been on fat-loss meals these days to the point his face was turning green. If not for being broke, he’d have bought some bean paste and chewed through the school’s greenbelt.
Hearing this, Sichuan Girl, walking beside him, smirked slightly. After living in the same dorm for three years, who didn’t know who?
Three years, and none of them had ever gone to pick someone up before—Wang Chu was breaking new ground today.
They were all grown men, not some delicate girls. Who’d bother coming to the station? As long as no one died on the way, that was good enough.
Indeed, that morning Class Monitor Wang Jing had already called him, so he knew exactly what Wang Chu was up to.
“Just noticed—you seem thinner, your face looks smaller. What’s up? Finally realized you should lose weight?” Sichuan Girl asked with a teasing smile, ignoring Wang Chu’s plea.
Although he looked calm, he was actually quite surprised. It had only been a week, yet Wang Chu had nearly slimmed back to his pre-internship size.
“Ahem, been hitting the gym lately, lifting weights. Early results—lost more than ten pounds in a week. Impressive, right?” Wang Chu lifted his chin proudly. Though the dieting and exercise had been painful, the results were undeniable. He couldn’t help feeling a bit smug.
“Impressive, my ass. Your base weight’s huge, of course you drop fast. What’s there to be proud of?” Sichuan Girl snorted.
Indeed, Wang Chu’s visible weight loss was mostly thanks to his large starting weight. If Lin Mo or Sichuan Girl had done the same diet and exercise, their results wouldn’t have been nearly as dramatic.
Especially for Sichuan Girl—he was already too slim to begin with, hardly any fat to burn.
“Mind your own business. Don’t change the subject—are you treating me or not?” Wang Chu waved his hand, steering the topic back.
Sichuan Girl chuckled coldly. “I can treat you, sure—if the class monitor agrees. Then I’ll take you to the best restaurant in all Jiangning. You can eat till you drop dead for all I care.”
After blowing up in popularity a week ago, Sichuan Girl had gotten a bit full of himself. His income had skyrocketed, and he could already be considered somewhat wealthy.
Since he hadn’t told his family about his social media work, all the money stayed in his own hands. Even though his family was fairly well-off, he’d never seen so much cash before—no wonder he was getting cocky.
“You—you know about that?” Wang Chu widened his eyes in shock.
Sichuan Girl laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “What do you think? I suggest you just accept it. Losing weight’s good for you anyway. So what if you have to diet? It’s not a big deal.”
As they spoke, the two exited the station. Outside, it had started drizzling without them noticing. Wang Chu, realizing his plan was exposed, stood there despondently, looking up at the rain and sighing.
“I was supposed to be eating dirt this month, but thanks to all this rain, my diet’s improved. Now I can eat dirt and drink water! Wahahaha! Here, take your stuff back!”
With his hopes completely crushed, Wang Chu went a bit nuts, shoving Sichuan Girl’s bags back into his arms and storming toward the subway entrance.
Like hell he’d still help carry her luggage when she wouldn’t even feed him.
Sichuan Girl wasn’t surprised in the least—after all, he knew exactly what kind of person Wang Chu was. But before he could speak, Wang Chu came trotting back and grabbed the bags again.
“You changed your mind?” Sichuan Girl blinked.
Expressionless, Wang Chu replied, “I ran out of money for the subway. You’ll have to pay my three yuan.”
Sichuan Girl: ???
“Come on, even if all your money’s pooled with the class monitor’s, she wouldn’t leave you without subway fare, right?”
“She gave me just enough for a one-way trip. Said she was afraid I’d spend the leftover three yuan on sausage snacks.” Wang Chu swallowed hard, looking genuinely regretful that the class monitor had been so thorough.
Sichuan Girl couldn’t help giving him a thumbs up. “The class monitor’s ruthless! You lucky bastard!”
——
Time passed quickly.
At the Yuan family villa, Lin Mo stayed for dinner—mainly because Mrs. Jiang had been overly enthusiastic.
Throughout the meal, Mrs. Jiang kept putting food on his plate, making Miss Yuan’s eyes turn red with jealousy.
But indeed, the family’s live-in cook was skilled—the local Jiangning dishes were done perfectly.
The table was covered in rich dishes, clearly showing how much Mrs. Jiang valued him. Yet Lin Mo only ate a few bites—not because it didn’t suit his taste, but because his earlier vomiting had left him without much appetite.
After dinner, the four of them sat chatting in the living room again. When the topic turned to Old Master Yuan, Lin Mo inquired about his condition, saying he could be contacted anytime if needed. Hearing this, Mrs. Jiang’s attitude grew even warmer.
“Hahaha, Xiao Lin, that red ink and Huizhou inkstone of yours helped me a ton! If it weren’t for those two things, my business deal might not have gone so smoothly. I really owe you one!” Old Comrade Yuan laughed heartily, refilling Lin Mo’s cup of tea.
Lin Mo quickly waved his hands. “You’re too kind, Uncle. Those things were just lying around unused anyway—I’d been planning to sell them. Honestly, I’m the one who got the better end of the deal.”
“What nonsense! Those were good items. If you’d held onto them for a few more years, the price might’ve gone even higher. We both got what we needed. And since you call me ‘Uncle,’ how could I ever shortchange you?” Old Comrade Yuan laughed heartily again.
Indeed, although he’d paid a bit extra for Lin Mo’s two antiques, compared to the project deal he’d landed, that money was nothing.
“That said, I must thank you and Auntie as well. I actually came today not just to visit but also to invite you, Auntie, and Sister Yuan to dinner tomorrow afternoon, if you’re free. You’ve both treated me so kindly—I should express my gratitude properly,” Lin Mo said, finally steering the conversation toward his true purpose.
Hearing this, the couple exchanged glances before Mrs. Jiang smiled. “Oh, come now, Xiao Lin, you’re being too polite!”
“It’s only right,” Lin Mo insisted with a smile. “I’ve already booked the restaurant, and I also invited Liu Rushuang. Sister Yuan mentioned that you and Uncle know her too. She’s been helping me a lot lately, so it’ll be a small thank-you gathering, nothing formal.”
He didn’t mention any requests for help—he first wanted to test Wednesday’s God of Cooking’s skill.
If it turned out to be powerful, things would naturally fall into place without him having to ask. Saying it now would just make him look opportunistic.
“Oh, Rushuang too? I haven’t seen her in ages. Alright then—your uncle and I will definitely be there,” Mrs. Jiang said with a smile, touched by his sincerity.
Old Comrade Yuan nodded. “Good idea. We’ve got nothing planned tomorrow anyway. We’ll stop by and stretch our legs.”
“Then thank you both for the honor. I’ll have Sister Yuan send you the address later. How about five in the afternoon?” Lin Mo asked.
Old Comrade Yuan chuckled. “What honor? Don’t be so formal, Xiao Lin. Five’s fine—we’ll be there.”
After that, the atmosphere relaxed even more. Lin Mo stayed for a bit longer before finally excusing himself—otherwise, he’d be caught for dinner again.
At the villa gate, watching her daughter’s car drive away, Old Comrade Yuan asked slowly, “So, what do you think?”
“What do you mean?” Mrs. Jiang turned to him.
“About Xiao Lin.”
“Of course he’s a good kid—handsome, polite, and full of spirit. He’s humble without being timid, confident without being arrogant. Even knowing our family background, he stayed perfectly composed—not the slightest sign of pressure.” Mrs. Jiang smiled gently.
Every time she saw Lin Mo, that impression only grew stronger, as if he was constantly evolving.
“Oh please, I meant—what do you think about him inviting us to dinner?” Old Comrade Yuan teased.
Though he seemed easygoing over dinner, never underestimate a businessman’s intuition—especially a successful one.
“He probably felt a bit guilty for getting the better deal last time. Wants to return the favor, though it seems there’s something more to it. Still, I trust his character,” Mrs. Jiang replied with a smile.
Old Comrade Yuan laughed, slipping his arm around her shoulders. “He hid it well, but yeah—there’s probably something else he needs from us. It’s fine, we’ll see tomorrow. If it’s something small, we can help out. If not, we’ll talk then.”
Clearly, both of them were shrewd people. Lin Mo’s level of scheming was nothing compared to theirs.
Though they didn’t know exactly what Lin Mo’s true intent was, they didn’t think it was anything bad. What did surprise them, however, was that he’d invited Liu Rushuang too.
——
Lin Mo drove Yuan Meng back toward the university.
Why wasn’t she driving? Because she’d indulged in rice wine dumplings—and if she got caught drunk driving halfway, that’d be a disaster.
They headed straight to the largest supermarket nearby and stocked up on a mountain of ingredients—various meats, common seafood—ready to test that cooking skill tonight.
“You’re inviting my parents to dinner… don’t tell me you’re planning to cook yourself?” asked Miss Yuan, collapsed lazily on the sofa after hauling the groceries upstairs.
Lin Mo replied, “Of course not. I already booked the place. Wang Chu and the class monitor came with me yesterday. Just reserving the spot cost me eight thousand.”
“Whoa, big spender! Which restaurant?”
“You’ll see tomorrow.”
“Fine, don’t tell me then—I’ll just ask Wang Chu!”
Soon after, Wang Chu and Sichuan Girl arrived in response to her call.
“Lin Mo, I heard you cooked poop at home and puked yourself sick?” Sichuan Girl shoved his phone in Lin Mo’s face the moment he walked in.
Lin Mo: …
“Get lost! You’re the one cooking poop. Huh? You got a new phone?”
Sichuan Girl grinned and deliberately exaggerated his tone. “Ah? You noticed? Yep, this is my new Huawei Pura80! I sold my old phone on the Zhuanzhuan secondhand platform—they do on-site inspections, fast payments, super convenient! If you’re buying or selling secondhand, go with Zhuanzhuan!”
Lin Mo: …
Wang Chu: …
Miss Yuan: …
“Wait, was that… an advertisement?”
Miss Yuan, who’d seen Sichuan Girl film ad videos before, immediately caught on—but she’d never seen one so blatantly inserted before.
Just then, Wang Chu ran to the kitchen, grabbed the leftover fried mystery item from Lin Mo’s morning mishap, and handed it to Miss Yuan. “Here, Sister Yuan—use this! Shove it in his mouth—it’s strong enough!”
Miss Yuan looked down and gagged. “Ugh—did you… poop this into a bowl?”
Lin Mo: …